The importance of making notes online

Donkeycore

What importance do you place on making notes on other players online? I do so occasionally but have read a couple of people on this and other forums say they make as many notes as possible on as many players as possible. Considering the vast number of players on a site like Party Poker, is it really worth my while or more an exercise in futility?

Similarly, what sort of notes do you make on a player? Are there specific things you look to note?

Gord

I think making notes is very important if you see the same people over and over again. I've been playing the 5-10 and 10-20 6 max games on PokerStars and notice that I run into similar faces everyday. When playing lower limits or when I played on Party Poker i rarely made notes unless i was planning on playing a long session since I was too lazy and I wouldn't see most players again.

Two things i specifically look for are...
1) Will this player semi bluff/bluff with a turn check-raise
2) How aggressively they play their draws

Otherwise its just the standard stuff like whether they call down a lot, what kind of hands will the raise with preflop, will they 3-bet with overcards after getting check-raised on a ragged flop...just all the typical stuff.

pkrooster

I asked this same question a couple months ago. Many people said to use PokerTracker or similar software. Man were they right. It keeps track of everyone you play against and produces a ton of statistics. It is a little overwhelming at first but if you put a little time into it you get a lot more out. If you go to their website you can download the software for free for trial use. I believe it is fully functional for the trial period of 1000 tracked hands. My favourite feature was tracking my own play through the hand histories as the software catalogues your hands by type. Example: it can tell you played KJo 10 times saw the flop 77% of the time and lost a total of 5.95 on that particular hand.

Hope that helps
Paul

UglyJimStudly

I use notes all the time in ring games on PokerStars, and by now anywhere from 1/4 to 1/2 of the people at my usual limit will have the little 'N' under their icon when I first sit down. I suppose some day I'll have to invest in PokerTracker or the equivalent, but at the microlimits I play right now it doesn't seem real necessary.

moose

Here is a simple example that happened to me tonight in NL. I had 22 on the button and limped in, BB raised to $4.25. I checked my player notes on that guy, sure enough last time I saw him play AA he opened with $4. One caller, I fold, he flips over AA. If I hadn't made the note I never would have remembered. I'll make notes on how players play the big cards and big hands, if they limp, check raise and so on. If I struggle against a particular player I'll note that too and either not play that table or make sure I've got him on my right so I'm always acting after him.

Big E

Poker Tracker may be something you want to think of Donkey....it has an auto rate feature so you can quickly rate every player you've played against and then make note of the loose players. If you find these players on-line you can then try to sit at their table and profit from their mistakes. You can certainly rate all the players yourself or add notes on certain players if you want as well but I find the auto rate pretty good. You can also create your own (or download) different auto rate templates that are geared more for different types of games. Not to mention the detail Poker Tracker will give you on your own game, it's pretty slick really.

Quasi

Something not mentioned is that manual note taking also helps a ton with concentrating on the game. If you find yourself getting bored or doing other things I think it's a great tool to keep your attention level peaked and learn more about your opponents.

-ANTE RIVER-

You want an edge? Make notes - simple as that...

Even though there are thousands of players out there, there will be many who frequent the same tables and same limits as you on a routine basis ("Your Comfort Zone"). Know who those people are. Note the players who are muti-tabling in your comfort zone. To start, keep the notes simple. I mark people as either Tight, Calling Stations or Loose. If I get a chance to stay on the same table for more than an hour, then you'll have a lot of information about their game. If I know them as a regular, I'll add what they'll raise pre-flop with in early, mid or late position to get an idea of what their "Gap" is. I'll note how aggressive they attack flush draws with top pair etc. On top of notes, I also use colour coding if/when it's available. Green=Loose, Aggressive, Draw Chaser Red=Tight, Multi-table Player. My seat selection on the table will vary according to where these people are - as you know, either style can be taken advantage of in the right situations...

literation

Quasi wrote:

Something not mentioned is that manual note taking also helps a ton with concentrating on the game. If you find yourself getting bored or doing other things I think it's a great tool to keep your attention level peaked and learn more about your opponents.

Good advice in the topic but the above has worked for me.  When I don't feel like multitabling this helps me focus.  Thanks for posting.